Indian army carry flood relief operation in Kerala, deploys 650 personals

Indian Army is deeply involved in the Rescue & Relief operations in Kerala which is witnessing very heavy rains since 09 August 2018.

Indian Army is deeply involved in the Rescue & Relief operations in Kerala which is witnessing very heavy rains since 09 August 2018. Request for provision of Army assistance was received on 09 August 2018. Accordingly, Indian Army carried out the execution of Disaster Relief tasks on a war footing which has been greatly appreciated by the civilian populace and the State administration. 

As on date total of 10 flood relief columns, each having an approximate strength of 65 personnel are carrying out rescue operations in ten districts of Kerala. 

In addition to the 10 flood relief columns, 10 Engineer Task Forces (ETF) each having an approximate strength of 40 personnel from Jodhpur, Bhopal, Pune, Bangalore, and Secunderabad have been pressed into action. The army is also utilizing 53 military boats to evacuate civilians from flood-affected areas.

In spite of continuous and heavy rains, Indian Army columns are working round the clock to restore connectivity to remote villages by constructing temporary footbridges, bunds and preparing alternate routes. 13 temporary bridges were constructed to reconnect 38 remote areas and a total of 3627 personnel have been rescued to date, which includes 22 foreign nationals. 

Relief materials have been sent to 19 villages with medical aid being provided to approximately 500 civilians till date. In addition, 3000 pre-cooked meals and 300 life jackets have been handed over to the civil administration on 17 Aug 2018.

(With inputs from Government Press Release)